The use of wooden timbers in playground equipment presents several problems. One of the problems is that there is a temptation to disassemble the playground equipment to utilize the woooden timbers for fuel purposes.
Furthermore, wood is a natural material and the use of metal fasteners of conventional design distracts from the natural pleasing appearance of the wood members. Additionally, wood being of a softer material compared to metal results in conventional fasteners becoming loose over an extended period of use.
Safety to the users of the equipment can also be a problem. There should be no sharp exposed edges on the fasteners being used that would injure the users.
It is believed that the plastic-metal fastener of this invention overcomes at least all of these problems.